All winter, Cleveland residents endure cold temperatures and lake-effect snow, but that doesn’t mean they stay cooped up inside.

Instead, the city celebrates blustery weather at the annual Brite Winter Festival. Now in its fifth year, the outdoor event features live music, art installations and carnival games — along with gallons of free hot chocolate.

“It was started by a group of young people in Cleveland who just wanted to do something fun outdoors in winter,” said Robin Van Lear, artistic director of community arts for the Cleveland Museum of Art, which coordinates the festival’s art exhibits. “We thought, we have this long, dark winter night that is a palette for light, so let’s do something with it.”

On Saturday, Feb. 15, more than 20,000 people are expected to pack the hip Ohio City neighborhood. The schedule includes more than 70 performances by local, regional and national bands, who will perform on 10 stages, including four outdoor stages.

“There are fires outside, outdoor beer gardens and food trucks, and it’s just a magical scene,” said Thomas Fox, the festival’s director of programming and marketing. “It was 19 degrees and a blizzard last year, and we doubled the attendance.”

The centerpiece of the festival is the Great Wall of Light, which debuted two years ago. Festivalgoers bring lamps from home and plug them into the wall, which extends more than 50 feet down. At the end of the night, visitors can take their lamps home or leave them at the wall as a permanent donation to the exhibit.

This year’s lamps are likely to be on the wacky side. As part of a Kickstarter campaign for the festival, organizers offered a kit for making lamps out of common household materials.

“Throughout the festival, (the wall) becomes larger and brighter as more people contribute to it,” Fox said. “That is sort of a visual representation of our feelings about winter.”

Throughout the festival grounds, eight local artists have created installation pieces celebrating the festival’s recurring theme — light.

The carnival games, which are free, include mini golf, a massive electronic arcade crane and a giant skeeball ramp. At 24 feet long, it’s more than twice the usual length. The list also includes an Angry Birds-style cornhole game and a generic version of the “Price is Right” Plinko board.

“People just really want to have fun,” Fox said. “Maybe it’s cabin fever, and maybe it’s a bit of insanity, but I think people are really ready to get outside and have a good time.”

Where to stay: The Cleveland Hostel (theclevelandhostel.com) is at the heart of the festival action, but it often books up in advance. Instead, try booking a downtown hotel near the RTA Red Line Train (www.riderta.com), which provides quick access to the festival grounds.